Though celebrated belatedly, appreciation for the nursing staff at Thembalami Care Centre and Max Ordman Deaf Association (MODA) was heartfelt as nurses were honoured for their dedication, compassion and unwavering commitment to residents.
International Nurses Day, marked annually on May 12, recognises the critical role nurses play in healthcare systems worldwide. At Thembalami, the occasion became a meaningful celebration of the people who provide daily care, comfort and dignity to older persons.
Thembalami and MODA held three events to accommodate both the day- and night-shift staff, on May 19, 20 and 25.
Speaking during the celebrations, Thembalami centre manager Esme van der Walt described nursing as far more than a profession.
“Nurses Day is more than a date on the calendar. It is a reminder of the heart of healthcare,” she said.
“It honours the commitment to care for others, often during their most vulnerable moments. It recognises the long hours, the emotional strength, the patience and the quiet acts of kindness that may never appear in reports or statistics, but mean everything to the patients and families we serve.”
Esme said nursing required not only knowledge and clinical skill, but also humanity, empathy and courage.
“Every patient you help, every life you touch and every moment of care you provide contribute to healing in ways that often go beyond medicine,” she added.
The celebration also highlighted the professional values that guide nurses every day. Nursing services manager Violet Ngobeni explained the significance of the nursing pledge, a formal oath rooted in the historic Nightingale Pledge and taken by nurses around the world.
At Thembalami and MODA, the pledge serves as a commitment to patient dignity, confidentiality and professional integrity.
Ngobeni also reflected on the 5Cs that form the foundation of holistic nursing care – compassion, competence, confidence, conscience and commitment.
She explained that compassion ensures care is delivered with empathy and respect, while competence reflects the knowledge and clinical skills required in nursing. Confidence enables nurses to act decisively in high-pressure situations, conscience guides ethical decision-making and patient advocacy, and commitment reflects the long-term responsibility nurses carry in meeting patients’ healthcare needs.
The nurses were also treated to gifts sponsored by Netcare and Avbob. Creatively decorated cupcakes and chocolates were served by the care centre. The cupcakes featured detailed edible fondant decorations inspired by symbols of the nursing profession, including miniature stethoscopes, nurse caps, bandages, blister packs of pills, thermometers and heart-rate monitor pulses – a thoughtful tribute to the healthcare workers being celebrated.
Rumbi Chatikobo and Parmela Langa join fellow nurses in reciting the nurse’s pledge. In the centre is Violet Ngobeni, Thembalami and MODA’s nursing services manager.
The Thembalami Care Centre and the MODA nursing team.
Thembalami and MODA nursing services manager Violet Ngobeni with Kolofelo Mathye.
Violet Ngobeni, Thembalami and MODA’s nursing services manager, with Fikile Mbatha.
